LANSING, Mich. — Sen. Rick Jones, R-Grand Ledge, was presented with the 2017 John V. Field Award by the Michigan Interscholastic Press Association (MIPA) on Tuesday.

Journalism students from Grand Ledge assisted in presenting the award to Jones, who was recognized for his work last year advocating for the First Amendment rights of student journalists. Jones sponsored legislation to create the Student Free Press and Civics Readiness Act, specifying that a student journalist would have the right to exercise freedom of speech and of the press in school-sponsored media.

The John V. Field Award recognizes a person who is not currently a student media adviser for their significant contributions to scholastic journalism in Michigan. The award was first given in 1972 to John Field, who served as executive director of MIPA for more than 20 years.